![]() In a statement after this week's verdict, Gawker’s General Counsel, Heather Dietrick, said, "Soon after Hulk Hogan brought his original lawsuits in 2012, three state appeals court judges and a federal judge repeatedly ruled that Gawker's post was newsworthy under the First Amendment. Jurors said they believe an individual’s right to privacy lies at the heart of the case, regardless of celebrity. It’s all about the almighty dollar, and it’s sick.” It’s just amazing, everything I listened to, that they have no heart. Kennedy said he would tell Denton: “'Put yourself in their shoes, if you have the ability to do that,'” before saying, “I don’t even know if they even have the heart to be able to do that. "He basically said that if you’re on Facebook, you’re a public figure, so everybody needs to check their privacy settings." "He’s enjoying being a bad boy," Young said of Denton. Stick to the newsworthy journalism - you understand what that is.'” She didn’t believe he displayed any remorse during his testimony.Īsked what they would say to Denton if they had five minutes with him, Young said she would tell him: “'Don’t demean yourself by going for the vulgar and the lewd and the trashy. Stevens said she was looking at Denton in court while the verdict was being read because she wanted to see whether he would show any signs of remorse. "He treated the deposition the way he treats journalism," Young said, while Eastman called Daulerio, "very flippant." "That means you really do think you’re above the law and it was that philosophy, we’re Gawker. "I think it made everybody, it made me pause, and I was just like, 'You did not say that,'" he said. He was very arrogant, very pompous in his response and he made that statement at the end." "You could tell he didn’t want to be there. "I mean there was a quote in there that it was fair game for a celebrity that’s over five to be exposed, and we’re like, 'What?,' and this was a quote from A.J.," O'Neil said. Daulerio, who was ordered in the verdict to pay Hogan $100,000 in punitive damages. The jurors had strong words for Gawker founder Nick Denton and the website's former editor-in-chief, A.J. and we had to take that into consideration." "You had to do it enough where it makes an example in society and other media organizations. "It just wasn’t about punishment of these individuals and Gawker," he said. The jury could still add punitive damages next week after both sides have a chance to present more evidence.O'Neil also said the group hoped to send a message with the multimillion dollar verdict. ![]() In Marburger’s view, a private video of Trump would be newsworthy because of references the Republican presidential hopeful made about his private parts during a presidential debate. Gawker’s attorneys argued that Hogan was drawing a meaningless distinction.ĭavid Marburger, a Cleveland attorney who represents media clients, compared Hogan to Donald Trump, another larger-than-life figure who has bragged about his male prowess as part of his public image. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, testified at trial that he made those comments while in character, not as part of his real-life persona. “He has consistently chosen to put his own private life out there, over and over,” Michael Sullivan, Gawker’s lawyer, told jurors on Friday. Gawker countered that Hogan’s own penchant for publicly describing his private life in detail had made the tape fair game. ![]() “What’s disturbing about Gawker isn’t what they do in a vacuum,” said Kenneth Turkel, one of Hogan’s lawyers, during his closing argument. Hogan had argued that Gawker ignored basic journalistic ethics by failing to contact him before publishing and violated his privacy. “It will be much more interesting and much more important as a legal issue to see what the appellate court says.” “The jury’s decision is somewhat of a black box,” said Mary-Rose Papandrea, a University of North Carolina law professor who previously represented the National Enquirer, a tabloid known for its aggressive reporting on celebrity scandals. Hogan had sued the website for posting an intimate video clip in 2012.īoth sides cast the case as a crucial test of the balance between the right to privacy and freedom of the press in the digital age, when a celebrity sex tape can reach millions of viewers with one click of a button. NEW YORK: The $115 million a Florida jury awarded to Hulk Hogan on Friday may seem like a big blow to the website Gawker, but the media company could ultimately prevail in its court battle with the flamboyant wrestler, legal experts say.
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